Symbol formation during major life transition: The experience of menopausal women in the sandplay process

This study is a phenomenological approach to the experience of sandplay as a process of symbol formation during the psychological transition of menopause. Symbolic processes are activated in the unconscious psyche during periods of transition when new forms of psychic energy are needed for change and transformation. The process of symbol formation is the activation of the inner symbolic where new psychic energy can be released into a woman's life.; The purpose of this study has been to understand the essence of the sandplay process and symbol formation as it reveals itself through the experience of four menopausal women as they produce a series of nine to eleven sandtrays. Each session consisted of two separate phases, a construction phase and a reflection phase. During the construction phase the participant was invited to construct a scene in the sand using a variety of miniature figures and objects. During the reflection phase, the participant was invited to dialogue with the contents of the sandtray through a series of open-ended questions intended to amplify and elaborate there experience. Each participant's dialogue with the contents of the sandtrays generated data used to analyze the essence of their experience. These dialogues were analyzed using Giorgi's methodology, which ultimately created a generalized essential structure of their experience.; Finally, the discussion has examined the associations between the statements in the Generalized Essential Structure and (1) the mythological journey of descent and transformation, and (2) images of the Goddess in order to give context and broader insight into the understanding of their experience. Both the image of the Goddess and elements of the mythological journey are configurations that the psyche produces during times of change and transformation.